Unless otherwise specified, this data collection applies to all of the following energy products, for which the definitions in Chapter 4 of Annex B apply: crude oil, LPG, gasoline (which is the sum of motor gasoline and aviation gasoline), kerosene (which is the sum of kerosene type jet fuel and other kerosene), gas/diesel oil and fuel oil (both low and high sulphur content).

Article 4b of Council Directive 1999/32/EC of 26 April 1999 relating to a reduction in the sulphur content of certain liquid fuels (1) as amended provides for the maximum sulphur content of marine fuels used by ships at berth in Community ports, including, as of 1 January 2010, the obligations for Member States to ensure that vessels do not use marine fuels with a sulphur content exceeding 0,1 % by mass and that marine gas oils are not placed on the market in their territory if the sulphur content of those marine gas oils exceeds 0,1 % by mass.

It provides for measures such as abolishing existing derogations for marine gas oils, enforcing the 1.5% limit on sulphur content in Emission Control Areas as defined by the International Maritime Organisation, applying the same limit to all passenger ships operating on schedules services to or from any Community port, requiring all ships at berth in Community ports to use a fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1%, and allowing the use of approved emission abatement technologies as an alternative to using low-sulphur marine fuels.

It provides for measures such as abolishing existing derogations for marine gas oils, enforcing the 1.5% limit on sulphur content in Emission Control Areas as defined by the International Maritime Organisation, applying the same limit to all passenger ships operating on schedules services to or from any Community port, requiring all ships at berth in Community ports to use a fuel with a sulphur content not exceeding 0.1%, and allowing the use of approved emission abatement technologies as an alternative to using low-sulphur marine fuels.

2. The competent authority may allow a suspension for a maximum of six months from the obligation to comply with the emission limit values provided for in Article 4 for sulphur dioxide in respect of a plant which to this end normally uses low-sulphur fuel, in cases where the operator is unable to comply with these limit values because of an interruption in the supply of low-sulphur fuel resulting from a serious shortage.

3. For the purposes of heading Nos ex 2707, 2713 to 2715, ex 2901, ex 2902 and ex 3403, simple operations such as cleaning, decanting, desalting, water separation, filtering, colouring, marking, obtaining a sulphur content as a result of mixing products with different sulphur contents, any combination of these operations or like operations do not confer origin.